Way to go, Britney! (No, not that one.) Nice extra credit work... In her persistence and dedication to solving a problem, she can't help but remind me of myself in my younger, teenage years (except for the gender, the good looks and the talent for math).

Photo of the 11th Fold, One More to Go

Yeah, that 12th fold is always a bitch...

However, we are led to believe that the achievement depicted here is somehow groundbreaking... is it, really? That little piece of paper she's got folded 11 times there, is about 2 feet wide. Therefore, it is approx. 2 ft. x 2^11 = 2 ft. x 2,048 = 4,096 ft long. That's just over 3/4 mile long. Whether it is some industrial, Christo-sized paper roll or glued together from smaller pieces. In other words, the best way to solve a difficult challenge is to change the rules of the game. (Just like in trading...) Why not get your hands on a 6-mile-long piece of paper and fold it 15 times, shattering the world record with ease?

Seems to me the hardest part of this, um, accomplishment -- besides the relatively simple math involved -- may have been setting aside enough time to find a sufficiently wide open space and walk (bike, rollerbrade, drive, whatever) a few miles back and forth, while folding.

However, we are led to believe that the achievement depicted here is somehow groundbreaking... is it, really? That little piece of paper she's got folded 11 times there, is about 2 feet wide. Therefore, it is approx. 2 ft. x 2^11 = 2 ft. x 2,048 = 4,096 ft long. That's just over 3/4 mile long. Whether it is some industrial, Christo-sized paper roll or glued together from smaller pieces. In other words, the best way to solve a difficult challenge is to change the rules of the game. (Just like in trading...) Why not get your hands on a 6-mile-long piece of paper and fold it 15 times, shattering the world record with ease?

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I thought part of the problem was that it wasn't supposed to be able to be done no matter the size of the paper, as stated in the article?

Good point. Maybe I am just having trouble accepting the use of 3/4 mile-long paper as, well, fair and reasonable, in solving this classic problem. To paraphrase a certain wordsmith president, I guess it depends on what your definition of a "piece of paper" is.